Adam Gifford Class: Senior Hometown: Plymouth, IN High School: Plymouth Height / Weight: 6-2 / 160 Birthdate: 11/08/1984

COACH KUBINSKI SAYS... "I'm not sure it's quite as dramatic as Hollywood's depiction of our own `Rudy' Ruettiger, but Adam's development as a player and as a leader is one of the best success stories out there. From essentially being the `13th man' on a 13-man roster to becoming a team captain and our most consistent player by the end of his senior year, Adam's spirit, will and drive show what being a Notre Dame student-athlete is all about. Seeing him earn all-conference honors in his final tournament was very special. Like his classmate, Cole, Adam will be a tremendous ambassador for our University and program regardless of endeavor."

AS A SENIOR (2006-07): Turned in easily his best season as a collegian ... team co-captain ... monogram winner ... all-BIG EAST ... played in all 12 tournaments as member of travel squad ... ranked third on team with 74.71 stroke average in 34 competitive rounds (29 counted to team score) ... was even better during spring with team's second-best stroke average (74.16) ...second on squad with 11 rounds of par or better (six under par and three in the 60s) ... had three top-10 finishes, including a pair of career-best fifth-place performances ... opened season with tie for 59th place at Gopher Invitational, firing a 27-over par 243 (85-80-78) ... returned to action with 17th-place tie at Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic (75-74-76=225, +15), helping team to second-place finish ... ended up 25th at the Prestige at PGA WEST after shooting a (then) career-best four-over par 220 (76-74-70); final-round 70 also was a personal-low at the time ... shared 68th-place position at CordeValle Collegiate following an eight-over par 224 (74-78-72) ... closed out fall season by trimming another shot off his career-best score with a nine-over par 219 (73-74-72) at the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational while tying for 23rd place ... teed off spring campaign with 48th-place tie at John Hayt Collegiate Invitational (77-82-72=231, +15) ... carded one of most impressive efforts of his career in Triumph at Pauma Valley, placing fifth in 81-man field with career-low even-par 213 (73-69-71); second-round 69 also was new personal-best mark, not to mention his first-ever foray into the 60s ...also helped team to its second runner-up finish of season ... tied for 45th place at Border Olympics with six-over par 222 (70-79-73) ... logged his first team-leading finish of season (and second of his career) with eighth-place tie at 90-player Administaff Augusta State Invitational; shot two-under par 214 (71-74-69) to post what was (at the time) his best-ever score with relation to par ... tied for 43rd place at rain-shortened Boilermaker Invitational with 11-over par 155 (80-75) ... shared 53rd place at Kepler Intercollegiate, another weather-truncated event, after shooting 19-over par 161 (81-80) ... wrapped up career in grand fashion with fifth-place tie at BIG EAST Championship, earning first career all-conference citation ... shot three-under par 213 (69-72-72), tying personal bests for 18 and 54 holes while setting new career standard for strokes below par.

SUMMER 2006: Qualified as an alternate for U.S. Amateur following tie for fourth place (140, E) in sectional qualifier at Western Golf & Country Club in Redford, Mich. ... competed in Western Amateur, but did not make 36-hole stroke play cut after tying teammate Mike King at 14-over par 154 (75-79) on Point O' Woods Golf & Country Club in Benton Harbor, Mich.

AS A JUNIOR (2005-06): Made only appearance of season as member of travel squad at Boilermaker Invitational in early April ... tied for 50th place with 21-over par 237 (76-83-78).

AS A SOPHOMORE (2004-05): Participated in four tournaments, three during the fall, each as an individual competitor ... registered a 75.36 stroke average ... finished 60th in his first action of the season at the BGSU/John Piper Intercollegiate ... shot a 17-over par 233 (80-78-75) ... looked solid at John Dallio Memorial Invitational, tying for 17th place (second among Irish golfers) with a (then) career-best six-over par 222 (75-73-74) ... the second-round 73 also was the lowest 18-hole score of his career ... ended the fall season with a career-best ninth-place tie at the Eastern Illinois Invitational (one of three Irish individuals among the top 10 in the 60-man field) ... carded an 11-over par 227 (73-76-78), matching his lowest single-round score ever on his first circuit ... made first appearance of the spring in dual match vs. 11th-ranked TCU, shooting a seven-over par 147 (75-72) to earn a share of eighth place; second-round 72 was (at the time) his best round as a collegian.

SUMMER 2004: Collected three top-10 finishes on Fidra Midwest Collegiate Amateur Series ... tied for seventh in tourney at Purdue's Kampen Course with 13-over par 155 (76-79) ... tied for seventh in tourney at Prestwick Country Club in Avon, Ind., shooting five-over par 149 (75-74) ... turned in best outing of summer with second-place finish in tourney at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course, carding two-over par 144 (74-70).

AS A FRESHMAN (2003-04): Saw action in two tournaments, one during the fall and one in the spring ... posted a 77.33 stroke average in six competitive rounds (all counted to team total) ... finished second among Irish golfers and tied for 49th overall at the season-opening Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational in September... fired a 21-over par 234 (76-82-76) ... returned for final tourney of regular season at Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational, leading Irish with a 41st-place tie ... carded a career-low 14-over par 230 (78-76-76), with his final two rounds matching his personal best scores at Notre Dame.

PREP AND PERSONAL: Four-year letterwinner on golf team at Plymouth High School ... three-time all-Northern Lakes Conference selection ... two-time sectional champion as junior and senior ... earned all-state honors as a senior after carding 72.8 stroke average ... won conference title in three-hole playoff as senior ... garnered academic all-state laurels in his final prep season ... served as team captain his final three years at Plymouth High School ... set school nine-hole record with 33 as a senior ... also earned three letters as goalkeeper on PHS soccer team ... president of high school forensics team, picking up individual state title his senior year ... member of National Honor Society ... full name is Adam Coury Gifford ... son of Ronald and Mary Gifford ... born November 8, 1983 in South Bend, Ind. ... graduated from College of Science in May 2007 with bachelor's degree in science-business ... 2007 BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team selection.